Method of making stainless steel pens



July 16,1940;

y J. A. SHEA METHQD oF MAKING sTMNLEssv STEEL PENS Original Filed JuneV 4, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,ca/raar F0@ #2 PEN carol/7 Fi/2g' verz/273i* Jo//A/ 4. s//f/f 9 July. 16, 1940. J, A, SHEA 2,208,477

METHOD 0F MAKING STAINLESS STEEL PENS Original Filled June 4, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 w' y 45a- 47 IgE .lIllllllH Nummlnnlluunmmmlllmll July' 16, 1940. J', A SHEA 2,208,477

METHOD 0F MAKING STAINLESS STEEIQPENS original Filed June 4. 1958 4 sheets-sheet s July 16, 1940. J. A. SHEA METHOD oF MAKING STAINLESS STEEL PENS Orgingl Fild June 4, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 9; v Jbr/zey.

' pens out of stainless steel or the like, so that by- Patented July 16, 1940 PATENT oFFlcE 2,208,417 METHOD or MAKING STAINLESS STEEL APENS Jaim A. shea, Jersey city, N. 1J.

` Original application June 4, 1938, Serial No.

211,823, 110W Patent N0. 2,195,430, dated April i Divided' and this application Novembel,3, 1938, Serial No. 238,552

Claims. (Cl. 113-32) This invention relates to methods of making steel pens, preferably of stainless steel, and it has for its object to provide a novel method of making such pens. lOther metals may be used.

A further object of the invention is to providea new form of stainless steel pen method, which pen is capable of being used for writing, whether in upper or lower position, and which is of low price, and particularly for fountain pen use.

One of the main objects is to provide a method of making suchpens so as to be able to produce them at a price considerably less than the present market price which is necessarily high on account 4of the many hand operations necessary to complete the pens.

The invention consists in a method of making means of a plurality of dies acting upon a metal strip the various parts of the pen may be progressively formed so that when the metal leaves the las't die the pen point ,is entirely complete and ready for use.

The invention consists further in a new pen point method in which is formed a peri by first bending up the lips in V shape, and thereafter completing the bending operation to the finally desired configuration in a manner that no area of metal is between the lips when bent to final shape. The converging form ofthe final bending provides also an ink reservoir space so as to facilitate the use of the pen.

Finally, the configuration of the bent lips is away from the inner surface of the pen nib, as also away lfrom the outer surface ofthe pen nib, whereby, as before stated, the pen may be used to Write in either posititon of the pen.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter, embodiments thereof will be shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank which is movedl step by step through a series of adjacent dies, the dies themselves not being shown excepting the rst one, the pen which is being operated upon in Figure 1 being known as a No. 2 pen, in that it has a medium size compared to a larger sizedpen;

Figure 2 shows a plan view of parts of the blanks disposed spaced from each other in order to-show the larger sized pen No. 1, and the smaller sized pen No. 3;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the initial shape of 55 the nib 0f a Pell;

Figure 4 is an end view thereof;

Figure 5 is the nib -shown in Figure 3, with a slot cut therein to remove the area of metal indicated by the slot;

Figure 6 is an end view'of the same;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a nib similar to that shown in Figure 3, provided with a. sheared slit;

Figure 8 is an end view of Figure 'I after the shearing of the slit has taken place; i

Figure 9 is-*anend view of Figure 7 after the displaced end has been flattened to its initialv position;

Figure 10 is a plan view similar to Figure 5, with the edges rounded off;

Figure 1l is an end view of the same;

Figure 12 shows a V shape bending up of the lips of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is an end view of the same;

Figure 14 is a side view of Figure 12 or 13;

Figure 15 is a plan view of Figure 12 after the tips of the lips have been pressed together;

Figure 16 is an end view of Figure 15, both- Figures 15 and 16 being magnified so as to clearly Show the relative position of the parts;

Figure 17 is a section taken on line ll-Il of Figure 15, showing the downwardly extending portion of the lips;

Figure 18 is a plan view of the nib of Figure 16 after a shearing slit has been applied;

Figure 19 i's a sectional view taken on line Ill-l 9 of Figure 18, showing how parts are displaced by the shearing;

Figure 20 is a view coresponding to Figure 18, but with the displaced portions flattened;

Figure 21'is a section taken on line 2|-2l of Figure 20, showing` also the parts rounded;

Figure 22 is a side view of Figure 20;

Figure 23 is the pen curved into shape, whereby the slit shown in Figure 20 opens itself in the form shown in Figure,23, and this gure also shows the pen still adhering to the blank with the line of cut indicated in dot-dash line;

Figure 24 is a vertical cross-section of Figure 23; f

Figure 25 is a plan view of the inner surface of the completed pen;

Figure 26 is a side view of Figure 25;

4Figure 2'7 is a plan view of a pen nib with the dot-dash line to indicate the inner fiow upon which the Wings will be bent;

Figure 28 shows the wings bent up into shap with their rearmost portions contacting;

Figure 29 is a side view of Figure 28; Figure 30 is an end view of Figures 28 and 29;

Figure 31 is a plan view showing the wings brought closely together so as to contact in their adjacent surfaces, with merely a hair line sepa.- ration;

Figure 32 is an'end view of Figure 31;

Figure 33 is a side view of Figure 31;

g Figure 34 is the same as Figure 31, but showing the slit applied to the nib;

Figure 35 is an end view of Figure 34, showing the wings separated from each other by the shearing slit; Figures 27 to 35 showing the steps substantially the same as the other embodiments but of a different manner of exciting them; and

Figure 36 is a section taken on line 36-36 of Figure 33 after the pen is curved into shape.

Similar charactersof reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1 inwhich is shown a metal blank 4l) of about an inch and a half in width and of any length. In this blank there is rst punched out a series of equally spaced holes, one preferably of larger size than the other, the holes 4l being for the purpose of enabling registration of the blank with the respective dies, and the holes i 42 being the usual pierce holes formed into pens at the upper part of the slit. The blank is moved in the direction of the arrow 43, and when it reaches a location above the die marked Cut out, the die 44 shown in dotted lines indicative of the upper die cuts out ageneral V shaped piece, and at the same time 'shapes the wings 45 and.46 of the nib portion 41, as shown in Figure 3. 'I'he blank is then moved a stage further on, andan area of the metal is cut out forming the slot 48 as shown in Figure 5. A

Instead of shaping this slot 48, the pen point at this station may Ibesubjected to a shearing slit 49 as shown in Figure 7, and in such a case the next stage would be a flattening stage so as to bring the displaced sheared metal into alignment, as shown in Figure 9. By subjecting a pen point as shown in Figure 7 to a shearing slit action, one of the wings, and in this case the wing 46a, will be pressed downwardly, a shown in Figure 8; and in this operation it may possibly be that the other wings 45a is pressed slightly upwardly, not shown in the drawing. This is the result of the action of'the shears or scissors.

'I'hese displaced portions 45a and 45a of Figure 8 require attening out, as shown in Figure 9. Thereafter, the V bending operation takes place. Returning again to the form shown in Figure 5, the next stage after the cut out of the tip slit is to smooth the corners and edge of the tip, as shown in Figure 10 where it will be seen that the contour is rounded, 'as shown clearly in Figure 114 by the rounded edge 50.

'I'he next stage is to'shape the wings 45 and 46, and this is done by bending them in V fashion, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, and this operation takes place at the stage V forming tip, which corresponds to Figures 12 and 13. From .Figure 13 it is seen .that the general direction of the position of the wings 45 and 46 is to form a V with the apex below the lower surface of the' nib. portion 41, which lower surface forms the back of the pem These ends converge towards an apex which is below the back of the pen.

Due to the bending ofthe wings 45 and 45 in respect-to a'relatively narrow neck portion of the metal, namely, at the juncture of the wings and y nib portion,'which neck portions result from the cut out 4I, the shaping of the wings 45 and 45 .partakesof a V shape with its apex, above the upper surface .ofthe nib portion, which surface is the face of the pen. In other'words, this V` converges in the longitudinal direction of the i pen from the tip of the pen towards the pierce hole along the face of the pen.

lThe blank is then moved to the next stage marked Closed tip, and the wings 45 and 45 are pressed together in the form shown in Figure 15, by reason of which pressing the V-shaped form is further pressed or bent so as to have the wings 45 and 46 substantially parallel with each other, and as considerable pressure is exerted at the very tip of these wings 45 and 46, the tips approach each other very closely, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, the space, however, being magnified so as to clarify the exemplication. By pressing the tip portions towards each other, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, a space is provided, indicated by 5|, in the upper part of the slit 48, and between the wings 45 and 46 this space serves as a reservoir for the ink. By bending the metal of the wings 45 vand 48 from their V shape position closely toward each other, a ow of the metal. during this bending action causes the wings to move downwardly below the initial plane of the tip portion, as shown by 52 in Figures 14 and 17.

After the bending has been completed, as shown in Figures 15, 16 and 17, the pen point or nib is subjected to a slitting action by a shearing scissors or the like at the station in Figure 1 called Slit, and a plan view of the pen point with this shear line 69 is shown in Figure 18. As before stated, a part'of the metal is displaced by the shearing, as showny in the section line |9-|9 of Figure 18, and clearly in Figure 19 by the parts 41a and 41h, and these again require attening, which takes place at the next station in the blank of Figure 1 marked Flattening. When this operation has taken place, the pen in accordance with Figure 20 has been produced.

It will here be noted that Figure 21 shows a section taken on lines 2I-2I, and shows a space between the parts 45 and 4B forming the ink reservoir described. The tip end of the pen shown in Figure 20 has the'downward extension 52 before described.

Preferably, although not necessary, the next stage of the operation of Figure 1 is a blind op.- eration marked. Nothing space, and this can be substituted for any desired operation deemed to be necessary, or it can be omitted entirely. The blank is then'moved on to the next station where a series of selective dies are utilized, depending upon the size of the pen to be out out.

In the blank shown in Figure 1, there has been selected a medium sized pen point marked No. 2 pen, but instead thereof any other die could be used corresponding'to a'larger sized pen shown vin Figure 2 as pen No. 1, or in place thereof the smaller sized dies for the smaller sized pen No. 3 may be substituted. These dies are so manipulated that if `a pen No. 2 is desired to be punched out, then the blank, when it reaches the station called Cut out for No. 2 in action" cuts out the medium sized pen. If, however, it is desired to .use the die for thepen No. 1, the next station erable method, since it permits the female dies 75 or matrices to remain in position, the male dies merely being set aside for the time being. One could readily remove the female die-and s ubstitute at one station the preferred male and female die, and in that case, of course, the series of dies, longitudinally considered, would be reduced lin number.

The station marked Cut out for No. 2 pen in action is for the purpose of cuttingV out the pen in its known contour from the blank, whereby the spaces 53` and 54 at each side of the"pen point are formed. The pen point itself marked 55 is then held to the blank only by the narrow portion of metal 56.

Skipping, then, the next stations marked Station for No. 1 pen and Station for No. 3 pen, the pen -point 55 is subjected to a rounding or curving action so as to take the shape Shown in Figures 23 and 24. By this rounding, the pen slit is opened in a tapering form, as indicated by 51 in Figure 23. This curving also brings together the wings 45 and 46, to a very slight degreeA closing somewhat the space 5| heretofore referred to as a reservoir for the ink.

Preferably, the station next in Figure 1 is left a blank in the thought that perhaps some polishing or other action might be desired at this stage, and the final die action is in the blank of Figure 1 marked Cut off, where the cut is along the dot-dash line of Figure 23 indicated by 58 so as to separate the pen point from the projection 56 of the remaining portion of the blank 40.

The nai pen as produced by this series of dies, or the pen making machine, is shown in Figure 25 in plan view of the inner surface of the pen point, and in Figure 26 asa side view.

It will be particularly noted that in Figure 26 the bent up wing portions 45 and 46 form a downwardly extending heel 52 and are rounded at the upper side. as shown by 59, so that the pen point may write on both sides. This heel is shown in somewhat larger size in Figure 22.

In the forms of pen point described in connection with Figures 7 to.9, a shearing slit 49 was first provided, and then the'wings were bent up, and in the other drawings the slit 48 was first formed and thereafter the kbending operations carried out. In each case, it was the distinct intention to remove the area of metal between the wings. This may also be carried out by the embodiments now to be described in connection with Figures 27 to 36.

The same general shape as shown in Figure 3 is shown in Figure 27, and an imaginary inner flow line'of V shape indicated by 60 and 6i, with the apex 62 of the V about in line with the narrowest portion 63 of the nib portion 41. The wings 45h and 4Gb are bent upwardly along these bend lines 6D and 6|. After these wings 45h and 4Gb have been bent upwardly along these bend lines and 6|, the rearward parts of the wings contact with each other, as shown by 64 in Figure 28, and an area of metal remains between the wings- 45h and 46h, this area of metal 65 having the same curved portion 66 as in the initial form shown in Figure 27. `A side view of Figure 28 is shown in Figure 29. An end view is shown in Figure 30, -and the arrows 61 show the flow of the metal. lIt will be noted in Figure 30 that the lowermost portion 66, which corresponds to Vthe area of metal 55 in Figure 28, becomes bent downwardly below the surface of the nib portion 41., as clearly seen also in Figure 29. These V- shaped bent portions'of Figures 28 and 30, are then subjected to a flattening pressure so as to with each other, as shown in Figure 31. An end view of Figure 31 is shown in Figure 32,'and the flow indicated by the arrows 6l to show the manner in which themetal has been subjected to a flow movement. The portion 66 is still further down in respect to the nib portion 41 than as shown in Figure 30. Thus, by pressing these parts together in the manner shown under the ow oi' metal described, there is an 'area of metal between the wings. At the same time, the metal which has moved downwardly forms the heel 52 as shown in Figure 33.

The pen shown in Figure ,32 is subjected to slitting action, as indicated by the slit 'l0 in Figure 34, and the pen isV ready for operation. The line 69 in Figure 35 indicates that no metal remains between the wings after the shearing. The pen shown in Figures 34 and 35 `is then sub-- jected to the rounding action as described in connection with Figure 23, which will widen out the slit 1li and to some extent open the rearmost parts of the adjacent wings 45h and 4Gb to form the ink reservoir 5|a as shown in Figure 36. In Figure 28, a slight space between the wings 45h and 46h could be left at 64.

As steel sheets with the hardness of steel pens cannot be bent sharply without cracking, attempts to make steel pens by a continuous machine operation have failed. After considerable research, I have devised the preliminary bending step in a V shape, which has enabled the pens to be made by the machine in -successive stages, without the hand of man touching the metal strip. The continuous method thereby differs from the known method in which a pen blank was cut out and then operated upon by hand operation to complete the individual pen.

The slot formed enables the two wings to be pressed together to form cheeks between which a capillary ink conduit is formed, which due to the curved tips may be slightly widened, depending on the pressure applied, even when used frontl or back. The ordinary pen point opens when used in front fashion, but closes when used in back fashion.A

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the improved method differs from other methods heretofore proposed, in that a pen having bent ears'may be made in a series of operations in continuity, from a plain metal blank to the finimv ished pen, with the tip portion closely resembling the iridium point of gold pens and having substantially all the advantages thereof, yet being made oi' stainless steel and by the inexpensive method of manufacture costing but a fraction of such a gold pen and considerably less than any ordinary steel pens. Furthermore, the improved .pen differs from pen points heretofore known,

in that it first has no area or space between the bent up wings, second1y,'that it is first bent in V shape and then to final form, and is also bent in a manner to provide a lower heel or back so as toV enable the pen point to be used both front or back fortwo way writing, thus facilitating the use of pen points.

'in pens.

yI claim: -1. The method of making stainless steel pens from a strip of hard stainless steel, which lconsists in cutting out a pen nib with lateral wings in the same plane into the nib surface, said pen nib having a pierce hole, cutting a tip slot in the nib` between the wings, smoothing the corners and edges of the tip and slot,bending said wings in respect to the tip surface so that the wings present a V-shape, bending tip surface in V- shaped formation to a closed formation so as to bring the wings parallel into each other, slitting the nib by shearing from the base of the tip slot to the pierce .hole,- cutting out the body in flat pen shape, shaping the same to curved form, and cutting olf the finished pen from the strip, all successively from iat strip to complete pen and without the hand of man touching it.

.2. The method of making wing tip pens from a flat strip of metal having spaced pierce holes, which consists in subjecting said strip to a plurality of successive operations of dies as the strip advances step by step through the same; first, cutting out a pen nib with lateral wings in the same plane with the nib surface; second, slotting the pen nib tip between the wings to complete the formation of the tip of the wing tip pen while a part of the said strip; third, smoothing the corners and edges of the slots and wings;'fourth, shaping the Wings to a double ,V-shape, one V having its'apex at the back of the pen, and the other V having its apex at the face of the pen;

fifth, further bending said wings in respect to the nib surface to a closed parallel relationship; and sixth, slitting the nib from the base of the tip slot to its pierce hole, by. shearing between the wings, thereby completing all the operations on the tip while the tip is part of the strip body before cutting out the body of the pen; thereafter cutting out thebody of the pen from the strip' body, allowing the cut pen to`be held by a narrowed portion of the strip; forming to curved shape said pen body so held; and cutting the remaining strip to separate the' formed pen, all successively and simultaneously from the flat strip to completed pen under step by step intermittent movement ofthe strip, without the hand of man touching it.

` 3. The method of making stainless steel pens from a strip of hard stainless steel by a' series of successive and simultaneous steps, which consists in cutting out, as the rst step, a pen nib with lateral wings in the same plane with' the nib surface, said pen nib having a pierce hole; at the next step, smoothing the corners and edges of the tip; at the next step, bending said wings in respect to the nib surface sothat the wings present substantially a V shape transversely oi' the nib surface, said'V-shaped wings having inner surfaces converging to an ape'x substantially in -the plane of the nib surface; at the next step,

pressing said V-shaped formation to a closed formation with the wings parallel with each other and the inner surfaces thereof substantially in contact with each other, free from any unbent portion between the wings; at the next step, slitting the pen nib by shearing from the tip portion to the pierce hole along the longitudinal apex; and at the next steps, cutting out the body in flat p en shape, shaping the same to curved form,

and cutting oil the nished pen from the strip, all successively from flat strip 'to complete pen and without the hand of man touching it.

4. The method of making wing tip pens from a at strip of metal having spaced pierce holes, 5 which consists in subjecting said strip to a plurality of successiveoperations'of dies as the strip advancesstep by step through the same; first, cutting out a pen nib with lateral wings in the saine plane with the nib surface; second, smoothing the corners and edges of the slots and wings; third, shaping the Wings to substantially a V- shape, one V being transverse, and the other V being longitudinal of the pen nib; fourth, pressing said wings to a closed parallel relationship; and fth, slitting the nib from the tip portion to its pierce hole, by shearing between the wings and along the apex of the transverse V shape, thereby completing all of said operations onv the tip while the tip is part of the strip body before cutting out 20 the body of the pen; thereafter cutting out the body of the pen from the strip body, allowing the cut pen to be held by a narrowed portion of the strip; forming to curved shape said pen body so held; and cutting the remaining strip to separate 25 the formed pen, all successively and simultaneously from the at strip to completed pen under step vby step intermittent movement of the strip, without the hand of man touching it.

5. In a method of making pens from a flat 3 strip body of metal having parallel longitudinal sides and having spaced pierce holesand pilot holes longitudinally thereof, which .consists in subjecting said strip body to a plurality of successive operations of dies as the strip advances step by step through the same with all the operations acting simultaneously, and while the strip body is held at the pilot holes by the registration of the dies, rst cutting out from said strip body at one longitudinal side thereof at one station sufficient metal to leave remaining a pin nib from tip to shoulder only with lateral wings at the tip in the same plane with the strip body,

forming an extended solid nib integral with the strip body, the remainder of the strip body remaining longitudinally integral and unoperated upon from the shoulderA to the opposite longitudinal side of the strip body; at the next station, smootbingthe corners and edges of the tip and wings yfor rounding the same; at the next station, bending said wings in respect to the nib surface so that the wings present substantially a V shape transversely of the nib surface, said V-shaped wings having inner surfaces converging to an apex in the plane of the nib surface; at the next station, pressing said V-shaped formation to a closed formation with the wings parallel with each other and the inner surfaces thereof substantially in contact with each other, free from any unbent portion between the wings; at the next station, slitting the pennib by shearing from the tip portion to the pierce hole along the longitudinal apex; all of the said pen nib operations taking place upon the extended'nib at the various stations progressively from station to station but 'under simultaneous operation of the stations JOHN A. sHEA.- 7 

